Flying machine with flapping wings



Aug. 27,1 l929. QERNY 1,726,342

FLYING MACHINE WITH FLAPPING WINGS Filed 001;. 21. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheetma EAN) f w v 6 Aug. 27, 1929. K. CE RNY I I 1,725,342

FLYI G MACHINE VWITH FLAPPING WINGS Filed 00%.: 21. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet2 mvelvrmg K (ZL c guy lrrapYEf Patented Aug. 27, 1929.

PATENT OFFICE.

UNITED STATES KARL GERRY, OF EERZOGENBUBG, AUSTRIA.

FLYING moms wrrn .rmrrme wines.

Application filed October 21, 1926, Serial lie. 148,241, and in AustriaApril 80, 1926.

further provided with a second joint, which.

during the upward motion of the wing permits a jumping forward and aturning up movement of the wings, and during the downward motion of thewing a pulling back of the wing in an essentially horizontal direction.

The accompanying drawing illustrates an exemplar construction of thesubject matter of the invention. Fig. 1 is a front view and Fig. 2 aplan view of the flying machine, on an enlarged scale, provided with awing. Fig. 2 shows an axial sectional view of the main-beam according toline w-y of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 illustrates a general view. Fig. 4

shows an arm of the pulley-support in elevation, and Fig. 5 is asectional view according to line a-b of Fig. 4.

- 1, 2 and 3 designate the struts of the carriage, of which the struts 1and 2 are coupled with the main-beam 6 by means of the bearings 4 and 5.The shaft 7 of the engine 8 transmits its rotation, by means of thetoothed wheel 9, to the toothed wheel 10 of the shaft 11 on which ismounted the double crank disc 12, governing the wing-drive. This doublecrank disc is provided with two pivots 13 and 14, which are disposeddiametrically opposite one another and on which are mounted freelyrotatable short flat irons 15 and 16, in the eyes 17 and 18 of which arefixed the ends of two ropes S; and S for the operation of one wing,while the eyes 17 and 18 receive the ends of the ropes S and S foroperating the second wing.

Near the end of the main-beam 6 is mounted a double armed bearing 30,the arms of which, in the ordinary position of the flying machine, liein a vertical plane, which is disposed essentally perpendicular withrespect to the mainaxis of the flying machine. Each arm carries twofreely rotatable pulleys 31, 32 and 33, 34 respectively. The operatingrope S passes (Fig. 1) over the pulley 31 to the beam 6 of theintermediate member to be described hereinafter and engages for instancea suitable eye 35 atthe underside of this beam. The rope S passes overthe pulley33 and engages an eye 35 at the upper side of the beam 6.

represented by Fig. 4), the pulleys 33, 34 of the upper arm are mountedfreely rotatable on pins 42, 43 in the forked end of a slide 41, theflattened ends of the said pins being guided in slots 44 and 45respectively of the flat-rail branches '30 and 30 forming thepulleybearing.

To the inner end of the slide 41 is secured a piston 46, which slides inthe outer chamber 47 of a double cylinder 48, which is mounted betweenthe two flat rail branches 30 and 30". The inner chamber 49 is separatedfrom the outer chamber 47 by a partition 50, in which is mounted anon-adjustable disc -valve 50. The piston 51 operates in the innerchamber and the piston-rod 52 of the former is connected by means of ajoint 53 to a link 54, which elongates the beam 6 at the left hand ofthe main-link A. 1

In order that the lever-connection, consisting of the piston rod 52 andlink 54, may freely oscillate during the operation of the wings, themain-beam isforked in the region of the hearing as indicated at 6 -6 andby means of the pin A is hinged to the forked end 6 of the intermediatebeam 6. The beam 6 is mounted in the intermediate beam 6 butis securedagainst longitudinal displacement by the collars 63 although freelyrotatable about its longitudinal axis, the right hand end of the saidbeam 6 being forked to form two joint-discs 64 and 64, which arepivotally connected to the enlarged disc-shaped end of the main-keel ofthe wing by the vertical pins B. Thus the main-keel of the wing togetherwith the wing and intermediate beam 6, 6 may move up and down about thehorizontal pin A, and further it may alone swing forward and backward inthe horizontal direction about the link B and finally by the arrangementof the beam 6 it can rotate about the longitudinal axis of the latter sothat the motion) to increase the air resistance. In the turned upposition the wing extends upwards from the link B, in the turned downposition the wing extends downwards from the link B.

The'third of the wing movements is caused by the air pressure only andis limited by stops or 'brakin means (not shown in the drawings) suitaly arranged on the intermediate beams 6 and 6 The elastic members 57 ofthe wing are arranged fan-like on the main-keel 56 of the wing in such amanner, that during the upward motion of the wing the members areopened, so that the resistance of the air, streaming through between thesame, is reduced to a minimum, while during the down movement themembersare firmly pressed against one another, so that they form a'singleuninterrupted wing-surface.

The wing, formed by the fan-like springs 57 (Wing-members), is connectedwith the rigid supporting plane T bytmeans of a numr of wing-members 57,which are superposed in fan-like manner and are horizontal 1y movable inthe joints 58-58 and which together form a fan-like surface, whosemembers are fan-like spread apart during the jumping forward of the wingand are folded together in the manner of a fanduring the pulling back ofthe wing.

The pneumatic steering operates in-the following vmanner During theupward movement of the Wing (in the direction of the arrow P in Fig. 1)the piston'rod 52 together with the piston 51 are pushed downward (arrowP in Big. 4).

At the same time the. outer pulley-slide is weighted by the rope-drive PP the weight being yieldingly supported by the pneumatic chamber 47, inwhich the piston 46..

connected with the slide'is operating.

The piston 51, whose leather cup 51- close S 1y rests against thecylinder-wall during the downward movement, supplies air from the cylinr 49 into the cylinder 47 by opening the va ve 5O during the downwardmovement. During the downward motion-of the wing, the piston-rod 52.together with the piston 51 is pulled up, the valve 50 is closedautomatically and between the leathercup packing 51 of the piston andthe cylinderwall atmospheric air enters the chamber 49, which during thefollowing upward movement of the-wing is again forcedinto the chamber47. s I

Therefore when the flying machine with flapping wings works for sometime, the tension in the chamber 47 is gradually increased; Usually thepiston 46 takes up the position shownin Fig. 5, in this position thepiston covering up the exhaust opening of the flap-valve 66, which is inthe shape of-a strong plate 'spring of steel and serves as safety valve.for prohibitively high tensions in the chamber 47. l

As-soon as the tension in the chamber 47 has driven the piston 46 intoits lowest position, the opening 65 is uncovered by the piston, so thatnow the safety flap 66 can come into operation. The flap-valve 66startsto object of steering. Beside the flap66, which is riveted to theflat rail 30 at 70, is mounted asecond weaker plate-spring 71, which isrivso forth, indicated in dotted lines,- a gradual decrease of thefreely oscillating part of the flap-valve takes place. As alreadymentioned the rope S which imparts to the spring 71 the successivesteering positions, engages the end of the spring 71, runs alongthelower arm on the pulley-bearing to the main-beam 6 and through themain-beam to the seat of the' pilot, where it engages one arm7 5 of adouble armed lever, the second arm 76 of which guides the rope'S for theother side.

Further the following arrangement is provided for operating the wingstogether with the main-movements z- A rope S passes over the ulley 32 ofthe inner bearing-arm and further over the pulley 32", which is mountedso as to be freely rotatable on the hinge-bolt A. From this pulley therope S passes through the sliding eam 6 and out at 1-, thereafter itpasses over the pulley 32", which is arranged between cantileverssecured to the hinge-discs 64 and 64' and engages an eye 0 of thewing-beam.

The other end of this auxiliary rope is knotted at O to thecorresponding main-rope The object of the auxiliary rope is as followsIf the main-rope S is pulled tight (downward movement of the wing)ittakes alongthe auxiliary rope in the place 0 so.that the wing ispulled down not only in a vertical direction, but simultaneously ispulled back in a horizontal direction, e. g. in the'direction oppositeto the direction of flight indicated by the arrow 1) (Fig. 2)

Owing to the rotating doublecrank disc, I

the rope S is releasedduring the wingsettingby actuatingthe rope 8;, sothat the wing moves not only upward in a vertical direction, but at thesame time and indeed by the pressure of the medium jumps forward in thehorizontal direction.

A second auxiliary rop'e S is guided in a similar manner, the operationof the same be- .ing evident from the aforesaid. By arrangingthe pulley32, over which the auxiliary rope S passes, slidable for instance in aslide whose movements can be controlled from the seat of the pilot, thetension of the auxiliary rope or aux liary ropes can be varied for the apurpose of steering.

It may be remarked, that the control ar-- rangement for the spring-forceof the valveflap 66, consisting of the rope-operated platespring 71,permits the variation not only of.

the pneumatic resiliency of the adjustable pulley-slide, but at the sametimeis a means for varying the extent of the main movements of the wingswithin a wideranga If the iao supporting planes, with flapping Wings anda joint for each of them permitting an up and down motion of the wings,comprising in comj bination a second oint provided for each wing topermit during the upward motion of the wings simultaneously-fa" jumpingforward and during the downward motion of the wings simultaneously apulling back of the same, an intermediate mmber connecting the joint forthe up and down motion of the wing with the oint for the horizontaljumping for ward and pulling-back of the wing in such a manner that thewing is turned up during the upward motion and turned down during thedownward motion.

2." Flying machine provided with rigid supporting planes, with flappingwings and a joint for each of them permitting an up and down motion ofthe wings, compr sing in combination an elastic intermediate member foryieldingly supporting the up and down motion of the wings, a secondjoint provided for each wing to permit during the upward mo.- tion of te wings simultaneously a jumping forward and during the downward motionof the wings simultaneously a pullingback of the same, an intermediatemember connecting the joint for the up and downmotion of thewing withthe joint for the horizontal 'umping forward and pulling back of thewing in such a manner that the wing is turned up during the upwardmotion and turned down during the downward motion.

3. Flying machine as claimed in claim 1 with wings forming a foldingface between.

the two joints permitting its double motion which is aCOIltlIlllfitlOl'l of the rigid support ing plane and during the jumpingforward of the wing is spread out in fan-like mannerv and during thepulling back is folded together in fan-like manner. y

4. Flying machine provided with rigid supporting planes, with flappingwings, two separate pulling ropes for the operation of each wing securedin pairs to flat irons mounted freely rotatable on a continuouslyrotating double crank and a joint for each wing permitting an up anddown motion of the wings, comprising in combination a second jointprovided for each wing to permit during the upward motion of the wingssimultaneously .a jumping forward and during the downward motion of thewings simultaneously a pulllng back of the same, an intermediate memberconnecting the joint for the up and down motion of the wing with thejoint for the horizontal jumping forward and pulling back of the wing insuch a manner that the wing is turned up during the upward motion andturned down during the downward motion.

5. Flying machine as claimed in claim 4 comprising pulling membersoperated by the double crank and passing over resiliently arrangeddeflecting pulleys or the like to the wing-beam. v j 6. Flying machineas claimed in claim 4 comprising pulling members for operating thewings, deflecting pulleys for the pulling members arranged in a slideand a pneumatic chamber by which the adjustments of the slide areresiliently checked.

7. A flying machine as claimed in claim 4 comprising pulling members foroperating the wings, deflecting pulleys for the pulling members arrangedin a side, a pneumatic chamber for-resiliently checking the adjustmentsof the slide, and pumps operated by the wings and adapted to maintainthepressure in the pneumatic chamber.

j 8., A flying machine as claimed in claim 4 vcomprising pulling membersfor operating.

the wings, deflecting pulleys for the pulling members arranged in aslide, a pneumatic chamber for resiliently checking the adjust .ments ofthe slide, pumps operated by the wings and adapted to maintain thepressure in p the pneumatic chambers, and a control-device for varyingthe pressure ineach of the pneumatic chambers.

9. A flying machine as claimed in claim 1 provided with auxiliarypulling members for pulling forward and backward the wings and mainpulling ropes connected to the wings formoving the wings up and down.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

KARL oERNr.

